Chapter 335: Thirty Reinforcements (5)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 335: Thirty Reinforcements (5)
Thirty minutes later.
Luna's soldiers assembled.
Though it was impossible to wash away the fatigue of war in just a single day, not a single person hesitated at Roman Dmitry's command. It was for the sake of Luna's safety. Among those fully armed and ready to march onto the battlefield at a moment's notice were familiar faces, such as Smith, who had executed Kalot in front of everyone.
Roman Dmitry spoke.
"Smith."
"Yes, my lord."
"I heard that the soldiers of the Luna Kingdom are trained to fight in the snow. Is that correct?"
"Yes, that is correct."
"What kind of method is it?"
Smith glanced at Caden.
He couldn't just give away Luna's techniques carelessly, but once Caden gave a slight nod, he opened his mouth to speak.
"Luna's techniques can be broadly divided into three categories. The first is how to maneuver through the snow, for which we use special footwear. Normally, feet sink into the snow because a person's weight is concentrated in a narrow area. Luna's footwear disperses this weight, and if one is an Aura Swordsman, they can spread mana beneath their feet to increase efficiency. Of course, simply wearing the shoes doesn't mean you can move freely; you must master the movements that accompany them."
The explanation continued.
The second category covered the use of weapons.
The third detailed how to overcome the bitter cold.
It was highly systematic in its own way. As Arcadia gradually transformed into an extreme environment, the Luna Kingdom had to adapt to the cold to survive. Many years had passed like that. Recently, when a crisis struck as the cold grew even more severe, they had avoided the worst-case scenario thanks to the birth of Isabelle. But before her arrival, they had solved their problems solely through human effort.
The methods Smith spoke of were the fruits of that labor.
While the people of Luna took immense pride in them, by Roman Dmitry's standards, they were riddled with loopholes.
High above, snow continued to fall.
Inside Luna's fortress, they could use snow-clearing magic to prevent the drifts from piling up to their knees, but outside the walls, the world was dyed a blinding, pure white. And it was only like this because it was still daytime. Once the sun set and darkness shrouded the world, Arcadia became a frozen hellscape where the snow would rise past the knees and up to the chest.
Luna's way lacked a crucial element.
Roman Dmitry looked at Caden.
"Caden. In Luna's methods, is there a way to fight during a heavy blizzard?"
"There is not."
"Why?"
"...Because there was no reason to prepare for such a situation. Arcadia was a world where peace was guaranteed. While surviving a blizzard was necessary for Luna's safety, there was no reason to prepare for waging war through one. There was a belief that we would not attack each other, and in a heavy blizzard like today's, the Luna Kingdom is not the only one whose movements are restricted."
It was the same for everyone.
No matter how well the Orcs handled the White Wolves, it should have been impossible to push through a heavy blizzard and bring down Luna's fortress.
Roman Dmitry spoke.
"I will make you a proposal. You have lived on the continent of Arcadia and learned firsthand how to overcome extreme cold. Even if you do not have a proper manual for heavy blizzards, it remains true that you hold the home advantage. From this moment, select one hundred of Luna's soldiers to subdue just a single soldier of Dmitry. The duel will take place outside, not inside the fortress."
It was an unexpected turn of events.
Just one person.
At Roman's signal, a nameless soldier stepped forward. He was clearly one of Roman Dmitry's private soldiers, but his face didn't immediately ring a bell.
...Dmitry's soldiers are all outstanding Aura Swordsmen individually. Even putting aside environmental factors, it won't be an easy match for a hundred of Luna's ordinary soldiers.
It was then.
"Caden. You may include yourself and other Aura Swordsmen to make up the hundred. If you succeed in subduing Dmitry's soldier, I will grant you any single wish you desire, on the honor of Dmitry."
A match that allowed Aura Swordsmen.
Caden's face filled with bewilderment.
* * *
One versus a hundred.
The opponent was not an unrivaled existence like Chris, Kevin, or Ares. The blank-faced man didn't look particularly strong. His name was Monson. He was merely one of Dmitry's private soldiers and held no special rank. According to rumors, he was just an ordinary man who used to do odd jobs at the market before taking up the sword.
However, they had no intention of letting their guard down.
During the infiltration operation, when they subdued the Orcs in the ice caves, they had witnessed with their own eyes exactly what kind of monsters Dmitry's soldiers were.
He is probably no pushover. And the Roman Dmitry I know is not someone who would propose an impossible fight.
As they walked, Caden gave instructions to his troops.
Just as Roman Dmitry had permitted, he had assembled a hundred men, including himself and several other Aura Swordsmen.
"Do not let your guard down just because there is only one opponent. Visibility outside the fortress is poor right now due to the heavy snow. Keep your backs to each other, close the distance, and when the enemy attacks first, quickly block off his escape routes to utilize our numerical advantage. We will surely win. We have already received a great grace from Lord Roman Dmitry. Even if we win, we wouldn't dare demand a wish from him, but to prove the worth of the Luna Kingdom, we must at least win this battle in the snow."
"Understood!"
Everyone's eyes burned with determination.
Creeeeak.
The heavy fortress gates groaned open.
Stepping outside, a world completely devoid of magical protection unfolded before them.
Whoooooosh.
The wind howled.
The cold pierced straight to the bone, and the heavily falling snow had piled up enough to completely block their vision. They couldn't fathom how a single man planned to subdue a hundred soldiers in an environment like this. But the bet had already begun. As the soldiers, including Caden, formed their ranks, Roman Dmitry signaled from a distance.
"Begin."
Tap.
Monson vanished into the blizzard.
After only a few steps, there was absolutely no trace of him.
Caden circulated his mana, scanning the surroundings with a razor-sharp gaze.
"Watch the perimeter! As long as we don't let our guard down, this fight is in our favor."
Whoosh.
His senses sharpened to their absolute limit.
It was then.
The very moment something registered in his senses, before Caden could even shout a warning, the clash began.
Thud!
Crack.
"Urgh!"
"Argh!"
It happened in an instant.
Bursting from the snow, Monson subdued the leading soldier, then struck the vital points of three others with the blunt side of his blade, knocking them down all at once. They didn't even have time to resist. Since even Caden, an Aura Swordsman, had barely detected Monson's presence, the ordinary soldiers stood absolutely no chance of reacting to his sudden ambush.
"Damn it."
Boom.
Rumble.
Caden kicked off the ground.
He hurriedly lunged to attack, but Monson vanished back into the whiteout as if mocking him.
It was baffling.
The opponent was nowhere to be seen.
While the heavy blizzard played a part, there were absolutely no traces left where Monson had disappeared. Even if one refined Luna's techniques to the absolute pinnacle, moving without leaving footprints was impossible. Furthermore, with the snow piled high from the storm, even Caden was sinking up to his ankles. Yet Monson vanished like a ghost.
That was only the beginning.
One by one, Monson systematically dismantled the soldiers.
"Over here!"
"Block— cough."
Thwack!
"Damn it!"
Utter chaos ensued.
Out on the snow, this was Luna's home ground. They had been completely confident of victory, but Monson toyed with Luna's soldiers, appearing and disappearing like a phantom. It was no different for the Aura Swordsmen. They tried to locate Monson using Luna's methods, but by the time they sensed his presence, they were already being struck down.
Thud.
A knight stumbled.
Watching the knight fall to his knees, Caden, known as the White Flying Squirrel, could do nothing.
He was too slow.
He, who boasted the greatest speed in the entire Luna Kingdom, couldn't even dream of catching up to Monson.
One by one.
The rising number of fallen soldiers brought a suffocating wave of despair. Caden, who had fought with fierce determination at first, had no choice but to accept the overwhelming difference at some point.
...Is Luna's way wrong?
In the end, everyone fell.
When Caden was the only one left standing, a chilling voice whispered from behind him.
"Sir Knight. It is over."
Monson had taken his back.
The outcome was clear. It was a complete and utter defeat for the Luna Kingdom.
* * *
The bet was over.
An overwhelming defeat.
Caden accepted the result, but he simply could not understand how there could be such a vast disparity in skill. Luna had struggled desperately to survive in this harsh environment. The techniques they had honed over the years were not so simple as to be easily suppressed by the techniques of Dmitry, a land with four distinct seasons.
Looking at Luna's soldiers, who resembled defeated remnants of a broken army, Roman Dmitry spoke.
"Luna has strived to overcome Arcadia's environment. I do not mean to deny those efforts. However, now that you have been attacked by the Orcs, it has been proven that desperation was completely excluded from your efforts."
"...Are you saying we were not desperate?"
"Yes."
Luna and the North Sea Ice Palace.
What was the fundamental difference between the two?
It was that peace had been guaranteed. Even without desperate efforts, there were no enemies nearby threatening Luna's existence.
"When the cold first began, Luna must have been desperate. Because you couldn't survive without overcoming the cold, you created various techniques. But once Queen Isabelle was born, the situation changed. A guaranteed peace, and the divine blessing that granted warmth. Life became bearable. Without preparing for what might happen in extreme environments, you let the years slip away. That was your fatal flaw. In Arcadia, a heavy blizzard cannot even be considered an unexpected variable. Despite experiencing difficulties from heavy snow from time to time, you only trained to fight under the most ideal conditions. You probably thought that was enough. Since most people don't even understand what it truly means to strive for strength, you believed that simply enduring the cold was effort enough."
Things had gone awry.
It couldn't be blamed on any single person. A complex web of factors had shaped the Luna of today.
"You have lost your independence. A nation that falls into such chaos and cannot pull itself together just because Queen Isabelle went missing cannot be called a normal country. What Monson showed you is a product forged through bloody struggle. He did not refine methods to peacefully overcome the cold; he created ways to exploit extreme environments to the absolute limit, because he knew he would not survive unless he desperately risked his life."
The soldiers raised their heads.
Though they felt miserable and humiliated, they did not turn away from reality.
"Luna has been annexed by Dmitry. And I will grant you the power to stand on your own two feet."
If they failed to make proper use of this opportunity, Luna would be excluded from the future Dmitry envisioned.
"The name of what I am about to teach you is the 'Martial Arts of Snow Heaven'."
* * *
That evening.
Everyone was dazed.
Having finished their training, Luna's soldiers doubted whether what they had just experienced was real.
"...This is unbelievable."
"How did Dmitry create such techniques?"
The Martial Arts of Snow Heaven.
It was astonishing. It was perfect from start to finish.
The legacy of the North Sea Ice Palace didn't simply stop at moving quickly over snow. It detailed profound elements, such as how to completely erase one's presence while moving on snow, how to leave zero traces, and how to pinpoint an enemy's exact location under severe visual restrictions.
Only then could they truly understand Roman Dmitry's words.
While Luna's techniques assumed an absence of enemies, the martial arts of the North Sea Ice Palace were always prepared for the absolute worst-case scenario.
"...Perhaps Lord Roman Dmitry is an apostle of God."
One soldier muttered in awe.
Roman Dmitry. He was an existence beyond common sense. He had brought a mere thirty reinforcements to subjugate ten thousand Orcs, and now he had presented a new path forward with profound knowledge that even Luna did not possess. Now, not a single person complained that the heavy blizzard would be a problem. He was truly a godlike figure. Every single one of his actions left a powerful, indelible impact on their minds.
Caden shook his head.
"No. He is not an apostle of God. He has simply entered the realm of transcendence on his own."
They believed in God. Their devotion to Him remained unchanged. However, from now on, they would live their lives with true independence for the sake of Luna's future, just as Roman Dmitry had commanded.
They planned to set out in two days.
They would undergo sufficient training before departing. The Elves were important, and while it was necessary to help them as soon as possible, Roman Dmitry had stated there was no need to rush things out of blind impatience. The existence of the Elves merely increased their overall chances of victory. If the Elves couldn't even hold out for a few days, then that was the absolute limit of their strength anyway. Stabilizing Luna's forces had to come first.
Luna, too, had entered Dmitry's domain.
Seeing his decisions—which prioritized the safety and strength of his allies above all else—they developed a blind faith in him, vastly different from when they had first begged for his help.
Dmitry as an ally versus Dmitry as an outsider. The difference was night and day.
Two days later.
Creeeeak.
The fortress gates opened.
As the soldiers stepped outside into the biting cold, doubt could no longer be found in their eyes.